Scenes from My Backyard, Part Three

My mind has been whirling like an Amish butter churner, non-stop that is. At least I think that's how the Amish work...

Anyway I've a dozen or more half-written, un-posted blogs on my Evernote-- here are some titles:

German Words and Phrases

Turn of the Screw

Boys of summer

A Day of Firsts

Don't Quote Me...

Bowling Blues

Now You're Cooking with Gas

Embracing the Future

But, tonight I will forget working on finishing any of those and go with my gut. I'll write the words just as they hit my brain, because I just happened to look out of my kitchen window… And what do you think I saw? I mean I can't even believe it, but here it is: I look out my window to see a young girl, high school age, lay her golf bag down on the ground and curl up in a fetal position next to it. I swear to the heavenly Lord! So, I exclaim to my husband who is, pretty much rightfully, sipping a cocktail at 6:15 p.m., "Look! There is a kid lying prone on the ground!"

Now, my husband is pretty responsible and will not imbibe unless he's certain his immediate attention is not going to be needed in the next few hours. So, he looks kind of tentatively at me and says, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Honey, look there is a kid laying down on the golf course! There are usually teachers or coaches. Oh my God, where are the coaches!?!"

He glances up. "You mean that golf bag?"

"Look next to the bag, behind it!"

"I'm sorry I just see a bag."

"Yeah, well look again, because that bag is getting up now and staggering to a standing position."

"Oh yeah. Looks like a girl. Must be the high school team."

We have a golf course outside and can see pretty much the entire fifth hole from the tee down the valley to the green on the back end of our home. This time of year the local schools use the course, during the week and in the late afternoon and early evening, for practice and for competition. It's an enjoyable and refreshing break from the plethora of senior citizens we're accustomed to watching.

Anyway, I have this quirk whereby I uncannily notice people and animals in need of help. It's often a point of discourse for my husband and I as I will point out mammalians that I notice happen to be in need and my husband will try to dissuade me from getting involved.

Like just a month ago when driving down a country road I saw a calf wandering the side of the road, well outside of her fenced in area.

"Stop! Wait! Didn't you see that calf?! Back up the car! Back up the car!"

It is only my shrieking that has even caused him to slow the car to about 30 miles an hour.

"Yes, now that I mention it, I see the calf. But, what do you expect me to do? Corral it?!"

"Well, I would like you to, at least, back up the car and help me find and inform someone from the farmhouse that they've a calf loose."

"Seriously?"

"Do you know the value of a farm animal?! Do you realize how much of a financial loss it would be to a family farm to lose this animal?"

In this case I guilt him into helping me. Usually I'm alone and will take it upon myself to offer assistance.

I don't know why I'm usually the only one around who notices when help is needed, but well here are a few examples from just the past month...

A kid wavering on his attempt to get going up a steep hill on his bike. His parents are 50 yards ahead and don't seem to notice that he's stuck,-- "Hey, do you need a push to get going?" "Sure, that would help me. Thank you, ma'am."

An ninety-plus year old man in one of those grocery store handicap motorized carts trying to lift a way-too-heavy case of water into the too-small basket. I look around to see a half-dozen shoppers. Why don't they see what I see? I offer him my assistance.

A couple times this month I've spotted someone leaving the local gas station with hands full of hot coffee, donuts, soft drinks, sandwiches-- "Can I get the door for you?" "Thanks, yes."

I offer my arm and walk an old lady, older than me (and there are not too many of those left, you know), to carry her purchases to her car over a wet-from-rain, newly blacktopped parking lot...

Why just last week I saw a couple, from my backyard, who were walking the golf course with pushcarts as a sudden storm dumped sheets of water and at just about the same time the lightning began to crash down-- "Hon, we have to get the minivan and load their carts and clubs and take them back to the clubhouse!! Quick! Get the keys. I'll go tell them! Meet us on the cart path!"  He always rolls his eyes, but he knows that I'm right.

So, I tell him tonight that we must at least ask the young lady if she is okay. I run to get two cold containers of bottled water. I take them out on the deck as she walks onto the green. She looks up at me and I call out, "Are you okay? Would you like some cold water? I saw you lying on the ground!"

"YES! Oh, please!" she exclaims, "Thank you so much!"

"How many of you are there?"

"There are three of us."

"Here are two bottles, I'll go get another." I get another bottle for the young folks.

She looks at me as I hand the last bottle of water to her. "Thank you. You just saved my life."

And that's why I react when I see someone who needs a hand, even if it's just an overly dramatic teenage girl.

A couple of summers ago my husband and I were on the deck, sitting outside reading. I happen to glance up just as a man collapsed mid swing, I mean one moment he was swinging his golf club, and the next moment he was flat on his back on the ground. I was certain he'd had a heart attack. I grabbed my husband's arm, "Look! Did you see that? That guy just keeled over! Maybe we should call 911 or at least run down and see if he needs help," but as I was saying this, that logical part of my brain was noticing that his golf partners didn't seem to be exactly rushing to his aid. I sat back and watched. A few seconds later he hops to his feet, hits the ball and the foursome continued advancing their way up to the green. When they reached our house the guy who fell began to wave and call out to us, "Hey buddieesh, come join ussh on the golf courshe," as he waved a half-empty bottle of tequila in the air. We laughed and waved them on.

I can't help everyone.